Białostockie Studia Prawnicze 2018 vol. 23 nr 3 DOI: 10.15290/bsp.2018.23.03.05 Sigall Horovitz United Nations Offi ce on Drugs and Crime [email protected] ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2620-8363 Alex Petkov United Nations Offi ce on Drugs and Crime [email protected] ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5266-0321 Education for Justice (E4J): Promoting the Rule of Law through Integrity and Ethics Education1 Abstract: In this paper, we discuss an innovative approach to teaching integrity and ethics at university level. In particular, we discuss the University Modules on Integrity and Ethics, which the United Na- tions Offi ce on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) developed under its Education for Justice (E4J) initiative. UNODC’s involvement in developing educational materials stems from the recognition that education plays a crucial role in promoting the rule of law and crime prevention. Th e E4J University Modules en- courage lecturers from diff erent regions and disciplines to incorporate integrity and ethics education into their programmes and courses. Th e paper consists of three parts. Th e fi rst part introduces the new approach to global ethics education that E4J off ers. Th e second part discusses the development of inte- grity and ethics modules. Th e third part explores their implementation and the ways in which lecturers can use the materials to promote a culture of lawfulness. Keywords: integrity, ethics, Education for Justice, United Nations Offi ce on Drugs and Crime, university education. 1. Introduction Th is paper discusses University Modules on Integrity and Ethics developed by the United Nations Offi ce on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under its Education for Justice (E4J) initiative1. E4J is an innovative and comprehensive educational initiative 1 Th e paper was authored by UNODC staff member Ms. Sigall Horovitz and UNODC consultant Mr. Alex Petkov who work on the development of E4J University Modules on Integrity and Ethics. 67 Sigall Horov itz, Alex Petkov that aims to promote a global culture of lawfulness by facilitating the integration of crime prevention and other rule of law aspects into all levels of education. At the university level, E4J pursues this aim through encouraging teaching on issues related to UNODC’s mandate areas, including anti-corruption, organized crime, human traffi cking and migrant smuggling, counter-terrorism, cybercrime, fi rearms traffi cking, criminal justice and crime prevention, as well as integrity and ethics. In each of the above areas, E4J is developing and disseminating university modules as well as related educational materials and innovative teaching tools, which lecturers can adapt to their specifi c contexts and incorporate into their courses. In this context, on 13 June 2018, UNODC formally launched a series of 14 University Modules on Integrity and Ethics. Before discussing the University Modules on Integrity and Ethics, it should be noted that the E4J initiative was launched as part of UNODC´s eff orts to implement the Doha Declaration on Integrating Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice into the Wider United Nations Agenda to Address Social and Economic Challenges and to Promote the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels, and Public Participation, adopted by the Th irteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in 2015.2 Th e Doha Declaration recognizes the fundamental role of universal education for children and youth as key to preventing crime, terrorism and corruption, as well as promoting a sustainable development. Th e E4J initiative is also closely linked with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which emphasizes the importance of education for ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring prosperity for all3. 2. Modules on Integrity and Ethics As mentioned above, the university modules developed by E4J address various areas that fall under the mandate of UNODC, such as corruption, terrorism and organized crime, as well as the cross cutting area of integrity and ethics. While UNODC’s mandate areas have a relatively clear scope and are dealt with through various UN instruments, the fi eld of integrity and ethics is rather abstract and “decentralized”, and is not regulated by a specifi c UN convention or protocol. Th is required the E4J initiative to defi ne the conceptual framework within which to develop integrity and ethics educational materials that would be consistent with broader E4J aims and UNODC goals, and would, at the same time, add value to existing programmes and courses in universities around the world. Th e views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily refl ect the views of the United Nations. See more about E4J at: https://www.unodc.org/e4j/index.html (13.12.2018). 2 https://www.unodc.org/documents/congress/Declaration/V1504151_English.pdf (13.12.2018). 3 http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda/ (13.12.2018). 68 Białostockie Studia Prawnicze 2018 vol. 23 nr 3 Education for Justice (E4J): Promoting the Rule of Law through Integrity and Ethics Education It is noted in this regard that many academic institutions throughout the world off er ethics courses, oft en within their philosophy departments or graduate programmes in business and public administration. Furthermore, faculties of law, medicine, science and journalism, to name a few, off er professional ethics courses in an eff ort to promote responsible conduct within certain professions. However, many of the courses are very specialized and hence lack a proper theoretical contextualization of complex topics such as integrity and ethics. In addition, ethics courses are more prevalent in some regions and less common in others. Promoting a global culture of lawfulness requires a more pervasive and universal approach to ethics education, supported by fostering ethical learning environments and active engagement of students worldwide. Such an approach could and should be relevant to university students at all levels and disciplines, and across all regions and cultures. Th e E4J University Modules on Integrity and Ethics were designed to support such an approach. Moreover, in order to provide eff ective support in such a vast fi eld, the Modules seek to strike a balance between a generic framework and more selective target areas that make provision for regional or functional contexts. Th us, for example, while some of the Modules focus on core integrity and ethics topics such as universal values, ethics and society, ethical leadership, diversity and pluralism, behavioural ethics, and gender dimensions of ethics, other Modules explore the application of integrity and ethics in certain areas of practice such as business, law, media, public service and the various professions. All of the Modules, however, can be taught to students of all levels and disciplines. In addition to off ering a new approach to global ethics education, the E4J initiative also aims to add value to existing university programmes by off ering Modules that have been developed by the United Nations, validated by leading academics, refl ect global data, benefi t from the input of international experts, incorporate innovative teaching approaches, and are linked to other global issues, including the Sustainable Development Goals and UNODC mandate areas such as organized crime and anti-corruption. E4J also aims to generate increased impact through involving stakeholders in localizing and regionalizing the Modules rather than merely leaving them as static “paper” tools. 3. Developing the Modules Ahead of developing the Modules, UNODC held meetings with academic ethics educators from various disciplines and regions, bringing them together to discuss and make recommendations on how to achieve the above aims. Th e fi rst such consultation took place in March 2017 at the UNODC headquarters in Vienna, Białostockie Studia Prawnicze 2018 vol. 23 nr 3 69 Sigall Horov itz, Alex Petkov and three regional meetings were held in April 2017 in various parts of the world4. Based on the discussions at these meetings, UNODC identifi ed key principles and approaches that subsequently underpinned the development of the E4J University Module on Integrity and Ethics. Th e following discussion focuses on these principles and approaches. One of the main principles that guided the development of the Modules was the need to ensure that university lecturers from various disciplines and sub-disciplines will be able to easily adapt and use the Modules in their teaching of undergraduate and graduate students. Accordingly, the Modules were designed as multidisciplinary and multi-level resources, and they use clear and non-technical language. Th ey are also fl exible in the sense that they provide a menu of options rather than prescribing a fi xed way of teaching. Th is ensures that the Modules are easily adaptable to diff erent regions and disciplines, and can serve a variety of uses. In addition, they were designed so that lecturers who do not teach ethics specifi cally would be able to teach the Modules as ethics components within non-ethics courses. Furthermore, in line with recommendations made in expert consultations, the Modules place an emphasis on common universal values, but leave room for diverse perspectives so that lecturers can easily adapt them to diff erent local and cultural contexts. Another recommendation made during the consultations, and which has guided the module development process, was the need to encourage critical thinking and prepare students for value-driven and eff ective action. Pursuant to this recommendation, the Modules have a strong emphasis on interactive and experiential exercises that require students to analyse cases, force them to engage with the issues, and help them internalize the Modules’ messages. It was also suggested that E4J draws on good practices from ethics practitioners in the private sector, e.g. those developing and delivering training in the ethics and compliance fi eld in companies.